


Tethraghast Drabbles (Hawke sometimes)

by NovemberOcean (Twilighthawke), Twilighthawke



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drabble, Drabble Collection, F/M, Gen, Multi, among others
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-10
Updated: 2016-02-17
Packaged: 2018-04-08 17:16:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4313565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twilighthawke/pseuds/NovemberOcean, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twilighthawke/pseuds/Twilighthawke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Drabbles from my tumblr account. im doing my best to get them all published here. its going to be a long and trying endeavor. there is a lot of stuff here, good luck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Now I'm Back

**Author's Note:**

> Orilliaorange requests: 40. exes meeting again after not speaking for years au

It was raining like a sonovabitch and all sensible people were indoors. Varric put out his cigarette. He didn’t smoke, but he sometimes found it easier to think with a cigarette in his hand. And the other people in the designated smoking areas tended to look at him funny if it wasn’t lit. So he resigned himself to a life of second-hand smoke and brooded in peace.

Brooding was part of the writing process, he told himself. Not that he’d been doing a lot of writing lately. The worst part was that no one seemed to care that he was in a rut. His editor was still raking in the dough on the last book he’d published, and seemed content to let Varric have his little hiatus. He thought somewhat fondly of the old days, when he stayed up for days in a feverish haze of writing, a deadline fast approaching and his editor breathing down his neck. The perks of fame, or the price.

Moving to light another cigarette, he saw someone duck under the awning he was standing under. Idly, he glanced over, and what he saw made the cigarette fall from his lips.

It had been years since he’d even seen her, longer since he’d talked to her. He thought she had moved to Denerim or Tevinter or wherever. Yet there she was, shivering a few feet away from him: Cassandra Pentaghast. His ex-girlfriend. The ‘Ex’ in that title always made his chest feel tight. It had no right to; the break-up had been completely mutual. Mostly.

She noticed him staring then. She spared him only a passing glare and then seemed to realize it was him. Cassandra closed her mouth, which had been hanging open in shock. He must have looked ridiculous, standing on a street corner, smelling of cigarette smoke and stale beer, looking at her like she was a myth made flesh.

She looked quite a sight herself. Soaked through to the bone, and wearing only a light jacket against the cold and the wet. She looked rather like a wet cat someone had fished out of a river.

He was sure she had never looked more beautiful.

“Hey,” Varric said after a minute of the two staring at each other.

“Varric,” Cassandra nodded in acknowledgement.

“How’ve ya been?” he asked, like he wasn’t thrilled to see her after all this time. “I heard you went to Tevinter or something.”

“Nevarra,” Cassandra said tersely. Varric’s face screwed up in both confusion and distaste. Cassandra hated her homeland, or rather, the people in her homeland. He was pretty sure she would rather have gnawed off her own arm than go back there. Cassandra noticed the look and her face twitched into a small smile.

“Yes, I was about as excited about that as you can guess,” she said, dryly.

“But now you’re back.” Varric told himself he didn’t sound as excited as he thought he did. Cassandra smiled again, staring out into the rain.

“Yes,” she said softly. “Now I’m back.”


	2. Punch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> thethousandnaturalshocks asked: 22. for cassandra/varric? :D  
> 22\. two miserable people meeting at a wedding au

Varric stared at the tragically non-alcoholic beverage before him. He knew he should have brought a flask, but Curly wouldn’t have appreciated it on his special day. Varric cast a baleful look towards the photo shoot happening on the other side of the room. There was Curly and Dimples, looking blissful in their wedding finery. Bastards.

Taking another drink of his painfully normal punch, he almost didn’t notice someone sit at the table across from him. He did notice when she let out a massively disgusted noise. Varric looked up to see a flat-out gorgeous woman sitting across from him, looking as bored as he did.

She had her black hair cut short and she had cheekbones that could have done the cutting. She had scars on her face that in no way detracted from the overall picture of loveliness. She was also completely ignoring Varric and staring at the photoshoot.

“Hey,” Varric said snapping her out of her reverie. “I’m Varric “wishing I brought alcohol” Tethras,” he extended his hand to the mysterious, angry woman. She snorted a laugh and reached to take his hand in hers.

“Cassandra “wishing I’d let Sera spike the punch” Pentaghast,” Cassandra said raising an eyebrow archly

“Ooh! Now I know we can’t be friends,” Varric laughed. “Why would you do something like that?” Varric groaned and pushed at his sadly unspiked punch glass. Cassandra hung her head, hiding her smile.

“I honestly thought I was doing Cullen a favor,” Cassandra chuckled.

“You’ll have to make it up to me,” Varric wiggled his eyebrows. “I might just have you buy me a drink later.”

Cassandra rolled her eyes and turned her head back to the photoshoot and their madly smiling friends. She was beautiful and stern, like the figure head of a magnificent ship. Maker, she really had the face that could launch a thousand ships.

“I might just do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is bitty. shout out to the person on tumblr that, without fail, always asks for a part two for all of my tethraghast stuff. you may never get what you ask for, but it warms my heart that you would even ask


	3. Shameful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gagu-kun asked: Tethraghast, 2- "Oh my God. You're in love with her.". Bonus points if you also put 1- "The way you flirt is shameful" in it :D  
> CHALLENGE FRIGGIN ACCEPTED

He thought he was being sneaky.

Varric had realized his unfortunate crush on a certain Seeker and had done his best to squelch the feeling before he did something stupid. He had made it a game with himself to point out all her unattractive qualities. They were few and far between, the woman looked good in any condition and Varric didn’t even mind her punches anymore.

So he had turned to drink. Sort of. He had the famous dwarven constitution, which meant he could drink more drink than a man twice his size could, and still remain upright and moderately alert. Hawke was in Skyhold and that was as good a reason to drink as any. They both were a little worse for wear.

Cassandra was there. Sitting and glaring at the room in general. Varric, annoyingly recognized it as her “I am in an uncomfortable situation so I’m just going to sit here until I can leave” glare. Maker, he recognized the difference between her glares. He was staring and Hawke followed his gaze, even though he took a drink to try and disguise his intent. Hawke looked back at him, one quizzical eyebrow raised.

“Is she still giving you grief?” Hawke asked. Hawke knew that Cassandra had been less than kind to Varric when they had first met, and had even roughed him up when it came to light he had known where Hawke had been all along. It was a good out, but Varric couldn’t let his best friend think poorly of Cassandra.

“No,” Varric eyed the contents of his mug. “Nothing like that, Hawke.” He sighed in spite of himself. Hawke narrowed their eyes. Hawke had had as many mugs as Varric had. Which meant Hawke should not remain upright for much longer. The suspicious look gave way to one that might have been sly if Hawke had been any more sober.

“Varric,” Hawke’s voice had a sing song quality to it. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you’ve got a little crush on miss cheekbones over there. To Varric’s horror, Hawked made a head jerking motion in Cassandra’s direction, catching the woman’s attention. Hawke saw the horror on his face and sobered instantly. For being as drunk as they were, Hawke put two and two together real fast.

“Hawke.” Varric said in a warning tone of voice, cutting his eyes towards Cassandra, who was staring at them now.

“Oh my maker,” Hawke said very quietly, leaning forward towards him. “You’re in love with her.” Varric glanced around frantically, trying to catch any of Leliana’s spies or even just any bar attendees that were close enough to hear Hawke’s harsh whisper.

“Maker, no!” Varric exclaimed, but it was no use.

“You  _are_ ,” Hawke pointed at him. Varric grabbed the offending digit and the hand it was attached to and held on to it.

“Hawke, I’m warning you…” Varric started but trailed off as a proverbial shadow crossed their table on the way out the door. Cassandra looked down her nose as the picture they painted; Varric grasping Hawke’s hand, the both of them shitfaced drunk.

“The way you two flirt is shameful,” Cassandra sniffed and exited the bar. Varric dropped Hawke’s hand like it had grown red-hot. Hawke gave Varric a knowing look.

“Shit,” Varric said and exited the door right behind the Seeker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love literally everything gagu asks me (shout out to gender neutral hawke)


	4. Ice Cubes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gagu-kun asked: oooh, also “I’m flirting with you.” would be great for Cassandra x Varric (this one is itty too)

Varric Tethras considered himself a smart man. Not an intellectual, or someone who did crosswords or some shit for fun. But Cassandra Pentaghast was a woman who changed all the rules. Flirting for example.

Cassandra was sitting in his chair on the wrong side of the counter watching him. Varric felt her eyes bore into his back like they did back when she still thought he was a criminal, but something was different now. She chewed on her thumbnail absently as she watched Varric reshelf books in the non-fiction section.

Varric picked up the box half filled with books and hefted it to his shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Cassandra following his movements with rapt attention. He had thought the shirt he had put on that morning was a little too tight for him, now he was thinking that it was just right. He turned a complete 360, an unnecessary flourish and walked towards the front desk.

“Careful, Seeker,” he teased lightly as he passed her, making for the fiction section across the store. She startled, and stopped biting her nail.

“What?” she asked, brow furrowing.

“You’re staring at me,” Varric said. “Anybody watching might think you have it in for your friendly neighborhood author.” Cassandra still looked confused. Playing coy was not working and he sighed elaborately. “I’m flirting with you, Princess,” he told her as he set the box down. “It’s usually a two way conversation.”

Cassandra’s eyes widened and her mouth formed an “O” of understanding, it was so cartoonish that Varric had to laugh. She turned bright red and glared at the hairy man.

“I know how to flirt, Varric, I have been in a relationship before,” Cassandra huffed and gave her attention back to the book on the counter in front of her. A thought struck her and she smiled slyly before continuing; “Also, I do this amazing thing with ice cubes.”

Out of her line of vision, Varric slipped and fell, landing in an undignified pile of books and limbs. Cassandra couldn’t help but laugh, and kept laughing until a very flustered Varric came around the counter, looking for an explanation. And maybe a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love me some tethraghast/bookshop au


	5. Three Beers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon-omis asked: 15. Your pairing choice.  
> (i dont remember what this one was, but it was something about arguing about tv shows)

Erica rubbed her temples and breathed heavily out her nose. She slouched down further on the sofa and planned the murders of a cop and a writer.

“Easily his best show!” Varric was nearly shouting, over Erica’s head at Cassandra, who looked ready to commit a murder of her own. They were, all three of them sitting on the sofa in front of the largely ignored television set. Erica was starting to regret a lot of things, chief among them being her decision to sit between the two.

“Please don’t argue,” Erica nearly begged, neither of them seemed to notice.

“I’m not disputing that it is very good,” Cassandra growled.

“Whose favorite Joss Whedon show is ‘Angel’ anyway?” Varric continued as if she hadn’t spoken. Erica reached for her beer. There was not enough alcohol in the entire apartment, no, in the wide, wide world of Thedas, to get her drunk enough to deal with their stupid sexual tension.

“Are you going to keep pressing your bigoted opinion,” Cassandra asked through gritted teeth. “Or are you going to  _listen_  to me?”

“Oh I’m sure he has better things to press on you,” Erica commented as she drained the rest of her can.

“What?” Both Cassandra and Varric said at the same time, Erica smiled to herself.

“I’m going to get another… three beers,” she said standing up. “I am going to drink all of them very slowly, and if I come back out here and you are still arguing I’m going to kick your asses out and watch a chick flick instead.”

With that, she walked across the room and into the kitchen. The walls weren’t thick, but if she hummed she probably wouldn’t hear the sounds of the angry make-out session, no doubt about to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't actually know anyone who's favorite Joss Whedon show is Angel, but if all of the characters were like me, we would have a serious problem. you can decide by yourself what show Varric is defending.


	6. As You Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gagu-kun asked: 49. "Well this is awkward..." for Tethraghast

“Well,” Varric drawled. “This is awkward.” He tested the shackles. Yup, those sure were solid, iron if he had to make a guess. He puffed out his cheeks and breathed out a curse. On the other end of the shackles was Cassandra, unconscious. She was going to be less than happy when she woke.

Varric stared into the middle distance, trying to decide which ‘ball and chain’ married joke he was going to make when she woke. It had to be one what was just funny enough to lift his spirits, but also tasteful enough that she wouldn’t strangle him with the chain. He smiled at the thought.

The smile quickly fell away as Cassandra stirred, groaning as she started to sit up.

“Morning, Seeker,” Varric said, chipper as ever.

“What happen—“ she started but stopped when she felt the weight of the shackle on her wrist. She looked sharply at Varric. “Varric,” she said in a warning tone. The dwarf threw up his hands in defense, the chain rattling loudly.

“Don’t look at me, Seeker,” he said. “This is a little too kinky for me.” Cassandra narrowed her eyes.

“Only a little, huh?” She asked in a suggestive tone of voice and Varric choked.

“Seeker,” he said in a mock scandalized tone. “You, are woman of unsuspected depths.” She made a disgusted noise and raised her head to look around the room.

“Do you remember what happened last night?” She rubbed her temples with her free hand and Varric shrugged.

“Tiny brought out that Qunari brew and mixed it with something from Nevarra,” he winced and even the memory of the taste of the alcohol. “I remember you were still going strong by the time I went out. So much for good old dwarven constitution.” He laughed, but he was obviously in better shape than Cassandra who had laid back down on the floor, her face pressed to the hard wood.

“I remember Sera yelling something provocative…” Cassandra mumbled into the floor. “I took a swing, and now here I am.”

Varric nodded. Sera  _would_  think shackling two people that supposedly hated each other  _to_  each other was hilarious. Varric smirked, too bad for Sera. He scooted over and maneuvered the chain so that Cassandra could rest her head in his lap.

“How are you feeling, Princess?” He asked softly, she just made a noncommittal grunting noise. “Yeah, that’s about what I thought.” He laughed softly, stroking her hair, which was coming undone from her carefully styled braid-thing. “Hows about we give it ten minutes and we get you to your room?” He suggested and she made an affirmative grunting noise. He struggled not to laugh so he wouldn’t disrupt her dozing.

Still, he leaned down to press a kiss to her temple.

“As you wish,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah-HA! you thought i would be patient and write some sexual tension huh? you thought WRONG. I AM WEAK.


	7. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gagu-kun asked: and/or Tethragast in 40  
> (“Have I entered an alternate universe or did you really just crack a smile for me?”)

“Varric,” the voice drifted to his ears from the darkness. It repeated his name several more times before he finally pushed his eyes open. Everything was pain. Well, not everything, but it damn well felt like it. He felt worse when he pushed himself off the stone floor he was lying on.

“Thank the Maker,” breathed Cassandra to his right. He turned to make a smart remark but any words he might have spoken died in his throat when he saw the Seeker. She was lying on her stomach a few feet away from Varric, under a pile of rubble.

“Shit,” Varric scrambled over the few feet to inspect the pile of rocks.

“You were not moving,” Cassandra sighed in relief. “I feared the worst.” She said the words with such vehemence that Varric actually stopped and looked at her. Had she sustained a major head injury? She noticed him looking and glared at him. Varric went back to inspecting the rock pile and tried to remember what happened.

“Shit Seeker, I could have moved,” Varric said as he remembered. The cave in, Cassandra shouting at him to get back, hands shoving him just as the rocks fell. Cassandra didn’t respond. “Can you move?”

“Yes that’s why I’m still sitting here,” Cassandra snapped and Varric threw up his hands in defense.

“In my official, dwarfy opinion; if you are strong enough to sass the handsome dwarf, you should be fine as soon as we get some people to dig you out,” Varric declared and Cassandra made a derisive noise.

“I suppose the handsome dwarf couldn’t be bothered to dig me out now?” She asked without any ire.

“Some of these rocks are bigger than me,” He patted one for emphasis. “The Inquisitor should be around any minute,” Varric said but the words felt a little hollow. She must have thought the same thing because she just huffed out a breath and didn’t comment.

“How ‘bout I tell you a story?” Varric offered and Cassandra looked at him sharply, one eyebrow raised and nose scrunched in distaste. It was such a comical expression on the usually stoic woman Varric laughed. “C’mon Seeker,” he wheedled. “I’m sure there’s a story or two from Kirkwall you’ve been dying to hear.”

Cassandra smirked despite herself and Varric pointed triumphantly.

“I have always wondered,” she admitted slowly, Varric scooted closer to her. They spent hours like that, Varric gesticulating wildly to stories of dubious likelihood.

“So I’ve got my hand in its mouth, and Hawke’s still yelling at Anders to let go,” Varric continued his latest tall tale. “When Fenris just glows blue and rips the bloody thing’s heart out.” Cassandra made a disbelieving noise. “He looks at us, clutching the still beating heart and says;” here he affects a deep voice to mimic the elf’s. “’What, was I supposed to grab Anders’?’ dead-pan, and drops the heart on the ground.”

Cassandra grinned at the image and Varric’s heart nearly stopped as surely as if Fenris had emerged from his words and wrapped his hand around it. She had the most adorable laugh lines he had ever seen in his life.

“Have I entered an alternate universe,” Varric started slowly. “Or did you really just crack a smile for me?” He asked, Cassandra stopped smiling and glared at Varric but it was too late and the expression didn’t have any heat to it.

“You pulled that story out of your ass,” she accused to distract him. He wasn’t going to drop it.

“Maybe I did,” he found himself saying. “But I’d make up a million stories involving spider entrails if it meant you’d smile like that all the time.” He sounded like a character in a better romance than he had ever written. She blinked at him, her face going a little pink.

She was saved from a reply by the sound of rocks shifting. They both tensed but when Iron Bull’s great, horned head popped into view they relaxed again. It was another couple of hours until they got Cassandra out from the rubble. She had a broken leg, but was otherwise just bruised. They didn’t speak of Varric’s confession of sorts. He couldn’t bring himself to be sorry he said it though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i actually am surprised at how much tethraghast ive written. (pleasantly surprised)


	8. Warpaint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wil is left alone with the baby for like half an hour...

It was Fenris’ turn to go into town for groceries. It was only about a thirty-minute walk but Fenris was always tense being away from Wil and their newborn daughter. Not in the least because Wil was going a little stir crazy from being on strict bedrest orders from the midwife. She was driving him slowly towards insanity, and he was a little worried about what she would get up to on her own.

Sneaking the last few hundred yards to the cabin door, Fenris prepared to placate the mighty Champion of Kirkwall.

Rinna was making noise in her basket and Wil was a suspiciously still lump on the bed. Fenris ignored the lump and dropped his packages next to the stove and went to the basket. Large grey eyes that were already starting to change to a brilliant green, stared up at him from the blanket. A shock of thick black hair stuck up wildly from the infant’s lumpy head. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever had… and there was something on her face.

Lifting his baby out of her basket, he examined the bridge of her nose. Rinna grabbed a fistful of his white hair for his trouble, preventing him from whipping his head around to face the guilty-looking lump on the bed.

“Hawke…” Fenris said in a warning tone. The suspicious lump stifled a giggle. “Why is there a stripe of paint on the baby’s face?”

Rinna yelled something in baby language at him as Wil burst out laughing. Fenris detached the tiny hand from his hair and approached the convulsing pile of bedding. Holding Rinna against his hip with one arm, he rolled Wil over to face him with the other. There were tears in her eyes she was giggling so hard.

“Hawke…” Fenris deadpanned, but her laughter was contagious and he was having difficulty keeping a straight face.

“I’m sorry,” Wil gasped. “It’s just… the way you said it…” She trailed off as she was taken with another fit of giggles. Fenris gave a put-upon sigh, but there was no feeling behind it.

Rinna was busily attempting to escape Fenris’ hold, so Fenris put her down on the bed. Wil sat up and scooped her daughter up into her arms. The little girl protested but her mother ignored her in favor of placing noisy kisses all over her face. Caught up in the domesticity of the scene before him, Fenris just stood at the side of the bed, grinning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to be honest, the first title of this work was "warpaint the baby" but my sister vetoed that idea. try not to take this too seriously, Wil certainly doesnt

**Author's Note:**

> Orilliaorange is my very favorite tethraghast writer and im so honored she sent me this prompt. i had an illegal amount of fun writing this too. i love writing for varric hes just so salty


End file.
